


home is where the heart is at peace

by halfwayinit



Series: ballum week 2020 [3]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, but there is a mention of everyone's favourite found family too!, this is mainly centred on callum + lexi's relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-10
Updated: 2020-06-10
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:35:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,378
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24633937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfwayinit/pseuds/halfwayinit
Summary: lexi has a nightmare, luckily callum is there to comfort her.
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: ballum week 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1778881
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	home is where the heart is at peace

**Author's Note:**

> i wasn't going to post for this day of ballum week, but when the idea came to me i couldn't not write it  
> something i'd love to see more of is the relationship between callum + lexi, so i wrote it myself!  
> i hope you enjoy

Callum’s stretched out along the sofa, Ben tucked underneath his arm, fingers interlocked in a gentle, loose grip. Ben’s dozing off slightly, eyes drooping closed, fighting to stay awake and finish the classic Disney movie playing in the background. The Hunchback of Notre Dame, one of Callum’s favourites from his childhood. He’s content to lay there with Ben, keeping the volume low so he can hear if any sounds come from Lexi’s room down the hall.

It was their weekend to have Ben’s daughter stay with them, the little girl more than happy to stay indoors with them both and have a ‘movie marathon with lots of sweets and popcorn and Daddy can’t tell me to go to bed until it’s really late’, her exact words.

When they first took the step to move into a new flat together, Ben was taken by surprise when Callum began planning to decorate the spare room for Lexi, wondering whether she’d prefer pink walls or if it was cliche of him to assume all little girls wanted a pink bedroom. Ben had been dumbstruck, mouth opening with no words coming out, heart swelling with happiness at the knowledge that Callum loved Lexi just as much as Ben. 

Callum had taken Ben’s silence up wrong at first, back-tracking quickly, apologising for overstepping a boundary, for just assuming that Lexi would be staying with them sometimes. Ben was quick to correct him, eyes stinging with tears at just how much he loves Callum, adores him for the beautiful, kind-hearted giant he is. 

“I just, I knew she’d be staying over here. But, I didn’t realise you’d be so keen to do it up for her, make it _hers_.” Now that he’s saying it out loud, Ben can see how wrong he was. It’s obvious to anyone who sees them together, just how much Callum adores Lexi, and how much his daughter adores him in return.

Callum reaches out for Ben, pulls him in by the hand until he’s close enough that Callum can loop his arms around Ben’s waist, a sweet smile spreading across his face as he looks down at his boyfriend. 

“I love her like my own Ben, it wasn’t even a question to me about Lex having her own room.” Callum’s voice is so sincere, eyes open wide and honest as they meet Ben’s own. Ben doesn’t answer him, just leans up to catch Callum’s lips in a kiss, trying to convey all the things he wants to say but doesn’t quite know how.

_Thank you._

_I love you._

_She is so lucky to have someone like you to love her like his own._

_You’re going to be the most amazing father one day._

_I can’t wait to expand our family._

The last one sends a thrill up Ben’s spine, has him smiling into the kiss, giddy with the thoughts of mini Callum’s running around Walford.

Lexi had been beyond thrilled when she was told about her new room at the flat, barely taking a breath before she was trying to convince her dad to let her have a unicorn bed with sparkly curtains and a big bookshelf for all her bedtime stories. Callum couldn’t help but laugh at the expression on Ben’s face, knowing his boyfriend was thinking about the hours and hours of assembling furniture that was to come. Callum lifted Lexi up onto his lap, stage whispering to her that he’d help her win her daddy around, Lexi gifting him with a high-five in return, content with Callum’s answer.

In the end, they’d compromised with the sparkly curtains and the bookshelf, a life-size unicorn teddy bear more than making up for the lack of an actual unicorn bed. Callum remembers how he had to swallow back the lump in his throat the first night Lexi stayed over with him, the way she slept so peacefully, content in the knowledge that Ben and Callum were just down the hall. There was no awkward in-between phase, no times when they had to bring her to their room because she couldn’t settle properly in her own bed. 

Tonight, she’s gone to bed full of chocolate and popcorn, carried princess-style by Ben after she fell sound asleep between them on the couch, not quite managing to stay up as late as she had hoped. Callum had trailed behind them, heart bursting with how much love it has for the two of them. 

They’re a family, all five of them including Lola and Jay. Callum never thought he’d find something like this, a family who accept him and _love_ him unconditionally and wholeheartedly exactly as he is, flaws and all. He felt like he’d been searching his whole life for it, only to find them when he least expected it. Right when he needed them the most. 

Now, he can’t imagine his life without them all, without their Sunday morning breakfasts, the five of them squeezed into a booth at the cafe, arguing over who gets the last slice of toast, only for Lexi to scoff it when nobody’s looking, buttery smile giving her away.

They’re not a perfect family by any means, Callum doesn’t think such a thing exists, but they make it work.

He’s torn from his thoughts when he hears quiet whimpering, muting the television to be sure he isn’t dreaming it up. Ben stirs a little from where he’s fallen asleep on the couch, asking what’s going on, but Callum shushes him, tells him to go back to sleep and that he’ll go check on Lexi.

Callum pads gently down the hall, face falling when pops his head round the door of Lexi’s room. She’s curled up next to the unicorn teddy, tears making tracks down her cheeks, face red and blotchy from crying. Callum’s at her side in a second, soothing sounds falling from his lips as he attempts to fit onto the bed next to her, Lexi instinctively curling into his side. Callum curls his arm around her little frame, pressing a quick kiss down onto her mop of blonde hair. 

“Hey, hey, what’s up princess? What’s got you so upset?” Callum keeps his voice soft and gentle, wanting Lexi to confide in him so he can take away whatever is troubling her. She sniffles again, head turning into Callum’s chest, rubbing her cheek against the soft fabric of his t-shirt. When she doesn’t answer right away, Callum doesn’t press, he knows what Lexi’s like, she needs a while to open up, to communicate what’s wrong with her. She’s like her father in so many ways, Callum thinks.

When she does speak, her voice is barely a whisper, “I had a nightmare. You and daddy left me at the beach by accident and I was all by myself.” 

Her words tug at Callum’s heart, and they have him pulling her even closer into his side. He strokes her softly hair as he speaks, “That does sound like a very scary dream, Lex. But you know me and your daddy would never ever forget you. Know why? Because we love you too much. Life would be very very boring without you causing trouble!”

He smiles when Lexi giggles at his words, she’s a troublemaker and she knows it. But they wouldn’t have her any other way. She brings so much fun, so much pure, unfiltered _joy_ , into their lives. Lola says she gets her diva attitude from Ben, and Callum has to agree. Ben’s daughter is like him in more ways than one, she may have inherited his attitude, but she’s also got his big, generous, loving heart. Lexi throws love around like confetti, and Callum loves that about her. For a little girl, she’s got a whole lot of love inside her.

After a few moments, Callum hears Lexi’s breaths even out as she falls back asleep, comforted by Callum’s words, and his presence with her. He slowly eases himself out of the bed, careful not to wake her again, and pulls the duvet back up around her to tuck her. Leaning down, he presses a kiss to her forehead, mumbling a quiet _sweet dreams princess_.

Lexi may not be his daughter by blood, but she’s his daughter by love, and that means everything to Callum.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you so much for reading!  
> come find me on tumblr @halfwayinit and let me know what you thought


End file.
